What species will take over after humankind is gone?

Let's assume something which is very likely to happen: mankind self-destructs and passes from the earthly scene. What creature is next in line.

Many might assume that chimpanzees rise to the occasion and become intelligent beings. A long shot, perhaps, but some might think dolphins.

Don't overlook a creature that exists right under our nose in North America. In fact, it's not at all unlikely there's one within 100 feet of you right now, even if you live in the city. In fact, increasingly, especially if you live in the city.

I'm speaking of the raccoon. They are among the smartest of wild animals and their front paws are more than halfway there to being akin to human hands. Watch Raccoon Nation and judge for yourself.

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I'm inclined to bet on roaches too. Back in the 1970's, Hewlett Packard manufactured pocket calculators that were legendary for their durability.There were numerous accounts of HP calculators exposed to weather for months, accidentally buried, accidentally being run over by heavy equipment, etc. We used to joke that the only survivors of a nuclear war would be HP calculators and roaches.

Well, the rugged HP calculators are but a memory, (They still sell a few cheaply built calculators that are not as tough as the original ones), but roaches are still going strong.

i wonder how come no one mentioned Ants .. They are smart, strong, organized, have good communication skills, and already can build .. it's only a matter of time till they know how to build pyramids :D:D

They are strong for their size. As they get bigger, they will have to shed the exoskeleton and get an internal skeleton to be strong. But even then, their strength will no longer be proportional to the strength the have as tiny animals. Many of the fascinating traits of insects are due to their scale. There's a reason why the largest insect, a beetle and only gets to be 4" long! As for organization, that is hard-wired instinct. Intelligent? Their intelligence doesn't even make it much past zero on an IQ scale. Whatever they do is instinctive and not due to intellectual brightness.